Ministry of Federal Affairs Committed for further promotion of CFLG campaign

Mr. Resham Kandel, Under Secretary of Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration said that the ministry is intervening to create a system to tabulate official data of CFLG declared Local Governments. He said that the guideline on child consultation is being prepared. The ministry if also planning the preparation of user’s manual for indicator localization.

Speaking at the same program, Mr. Janak Sharma, Under Secretary of the Ministry said that the CFLG indicators have been prepared as per the provisions in the Local Self Governance Act, 2074, and should be taken as a holistic approach. He stressed the importance of CFLG National strategy to ensure accountability of stakeholders on the agenda.

The coordination meeting for the promotion of CFLG was conducted on 27 June, 2023 at Indreni Banquet, New Baneshwor. It was organized by National CFLG Forum with the support of World Vision International Nepal. 30 participants representing various development partners, child rights networks, and child club graduates were present in the meeting.

Ms. Safalta Bhandari hosted the opening ceremony. The program was chaired by Mr. Ashok Khanal, coordinator of National CFLG Forum. He provided the welcome remarks and clarified the objectives of the program. Following that, all the participants introduced themselves. Mr. Tilottam Paudel, Strategic advisor of National CFLG Forum gave brief remarks on the present situation of CFLG agenda in Nepal, and urged everyone for increased investment in the campaign, to create consolidated effort and realize the goal.

Mr. Shyam Adhikari concluded the sharing with short remarks and said that CFLG movement is progressive, but has many rooms of improvements.

Addressing the Ministry representatives present in the meeting, the participants provided following recommendations for further promotion of CFLG agenda:

Endorsement of the CFLG National Strategy with the lead of Ministry of Federal Affairs and General Administration
Ensuring political leadership and ownership in CFLG agenda
Avoid projectization of CFLG agenda, and ensure its quality implementation as CFLG campaign.
Ensure proper implementation of the CFLG Implementation Guideline, CFLG Declaration procedure and Child Consultations Guideline, by ensuring their timely amendment as per requirement
Tabulate proper data of the CFLG declared Local Governments.
Ensure quality implementation of CFLG agenda, by ensuring the mobilization of master trainers capacitated through M-ToT on CFLG.
Ensure proper awareness and capacity building of the Local and provincial Governments on various policy provisions relating to CFLG.
Ensure proper inter-ministerial coordination for promotion of CFLG, as well as coordination and solidarity between the development partners and CSOs for assuring the sustainability of the campaign.
Strengthen child protection mechanism in the country, by ensuring locally owned strategy.
Ensure procedure to boycott CFLG declaration event, after the fulfillment of all CFLG indicators.
The other campaigns and initiatives like school as peace of Zone, NFLG, vaccination campaign, Zero Home Delivery, ODF, and so on should be consolidated. These campaigns have been separately implemented, due to which the approach has failed to be comprehensive. Hence, common understanding should be induced between all these campaigns for effective sustainability.
Some of the indicators should be revised, and standardized as per the present context. The evidence for the justification of indicators is confusing and should be well -defined in the policy provisions.
Coordination with social Welfare Council to tabulate information on the development partners working on child rights, so as to channel them to the needy Local Governments.
A model CFLG declared Local Government should be established in each of the seven provinces for replication and increasing scalability.
Ensure the incorporation of CFLG agenda in LISA, and other performance evaluation at the Local Level.
CFLG is regarded as the responsibility of women and children department. Whereas, the Planning department should take lead, by also ensuring the engagement of all other relevant departments.
A facilitation guideline/Manual on CFLG, ensuring practical aspects on localization of indicators, evidence of indicator fulfillment, strategy for effective communication, and so on.
Ensure increased investment as per the policy provisions, and increased capacity building for creating competent human resources.
A proper mechanism should be established for MoFAGA to identify the relevant stakeholders working on CFLG and child rights.
Prepare CFLG brochure for wider dissemination.
Ensure proper utilization of the scattered budget provided by the Federal and Provincial Government.
Review of the CFLG campaign so far.
Continuous capacity building, with follow up events should be organized by setting specific target. The leadership transition at the local level should be carefully assessed and supported.